This week was going pretty good. I think I mentioned it last week that we bought a walk-in-freezer. Yesterday and today Adam put it up and together with the help of one of his brothers. The compressor is not hooked up yet, for a HVAC guy needs to come and put the Freon in it and solder the pipes back together. But the 2 windows are taken out, all the panels are screwed together, and it is ready to be used soon. On Monday, we were able to purchase a mini van from a friend for the business. It makes hauling the food in the hot boxed so much easier! And we were able to help out a friend, so it was a win win situation.
Damaris stopped nursing about a week before she was 15 months (which was January 30) and it’s a bit of a bitter/sweet thing for me. I’ve never nursed any of the others this long and I was enjoying the closeness we shared, but I was ready to be done. She got a little fussy once about it, but that was all. It seems she’s all but forgotten about it. And I have thrown down the gauntlet with Nathaniel and we have said “good bye” to diapers for him (except for when he’s sleeping). He doesn’t really like it and has asked a few times for a diaper. But no, the time has come that he knows what he’s doing and quite frankly, I’m tired of changing him! When a child goes to the bathroom in his diaper, then comes and says, “Change me.”, he is ready to be potty trained! So, however long it takes, however much I need to bribe him, and, if it comes to it, however much I need to discipline him, it WILL get done! So there! 
As I was sitting at the computer today, I definitely felt movement and, if I’m not mistaken, I even saw my belly jiggle a bit! I was quite surprised! 13 weeks is not too early to feel movement, esp. in subsequent pregnancies, but it still was a shock. It could have certainly been my breathing that made my belly move, but since is was coinciding with the baby movement…? I have always lost about an average of 25 pounds by the beginning of the 3rd trimester. But so far, I haven’t lost anything! I haven’t gained anything, either. I’m just bouncing back between 260 and 265. I can’t complain, really. For if I gained the average 25-35 pounds, I’d be too close to 300. No thank you! Been there, done that and I’m not going back!
On Friday I received some very sad new about my father. About 2 weeks ago, he suffered from a rather large seizure and subsequently, had some tests done to find out why. The MRI showed that there was a mass in his brain, about the size of a ping pong ball. On Friday, he went in for surgery to remove as much of the mass as possible and to analyze the mass for cancer. The mass is indeed cancer, an astrocytoma, but it’s stage is yet to be determined. The Dr. guess is that it is at a stage 3, with 1 being the most submissive and 4 being the most aggressive. This type of cancer is not curable with radiation and/or chemo. The most response that we’ll see from it is some of the cancer cells will die, while the other ones will simply be “put to sleep” by the radiation and chemo. At some point, they will “wake up” and then possibly go through this again. I’m not sure. The median survival rate for this type of cancer is 5 years for stage 1, to 15 months for stage 4. So, in essence, this is what will kill my father. I know this. I don’t mean to sound like I’m giving up or anything, I’m just trying to be practical. Unless God deems otherwise (and I’m praying that He does!!), I don’t think my father has much time left with us. He is a Christian, he is saved, and for that I am truly grateful! At this point, that is the sole comfort I have.
Please, pray for my father and for us as a family.
Hug those you love! Mend the rifts! Close the gaps now! For you don’t know when the time will come when it truly is too late. And then what?
Jennifer